


Many Prevarications

by NixelPixel



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, College, Cross-dressing modeling, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Free! Dive to the Future, Free! Eternal Summer, Free! Take Your Marks - Freeform, Gay Bar, M/M, Multi, Nagisa is a penguin keeper, Penguins, Rei is in college, Sasabe has a stuck up rich cousin, Smut, free! iwatobi swim club, getting drunk, iwatobi swim club - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:53:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28004973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NixelPixel/pseuds/NixelPixel
Summary: Rei Ryugazaki and Nagisa finished up their senior year at Iwatobi High School, and now Rei is moving to Tokyo to study chemical engineering and physics.  Nagisa doesn't like the idea of being away with him and desires to be free from the restrictive chains of his parents.  Impulsively, Nagisa told Rei he would move in with him even if he didn't attend college.  Nagisa must now find a job in order to help pay rent and live in Rei's decent apartment with him.  However, Nagisa's world turns inot a whirlwind of a ride when he starts working and fulfilling himself.  How will this affect his friend(relation?)ship with Rei?***Idea created by myself and my great friend Tiel.  Sadly, she is not on here, but I got her help with this and permission to post it on Ao3!  She’s super dope and has an amazing imagination. Thanks for coming up with these scenarios with me. We went on for 5+ or so hours just writing out some scenarios for this one plotline.  She said she had to see how it ended, and I had to as well.There’s some Reigisa, RinRei, MakoHaru, and very light RinSou.  But this is a predominantly an angst NagisaRei story. This will change and switch from Rei’s and Nagisa’s POV.
Relationships: Hazuki Nagisa/Ryuugazaki Rei, Matsuoka Rin/Ryuugazaki Rei, Matsuoka Rin/Yamazaki Sousuke, Nanase Haruka/Tachibana Makoto
Kudos: 5





	1. "rei-chan, i'm here!"

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter one. Thanks for reading! This is my first fanfiction I'll ever be posting publicly. The first few chapters will probably be a little short. Enjoy!

Everything was set up and ready. I had just unpacked the last box and made sure all my documentation were properly organized, my laptop was plugged in, my clothes were folded, sorted and put away, and—of course—all my pictures were hung on the way. Pictures of my mother, brother and I were hung around my bedroom and then I had a couple of framed pictures of my beloved best friend and myself. Nagisa Hazuki was—and still is—my best friend to this day. Ever since we graduated high school, he swore up and down that we were going to stick together until the end of our time. That was until I told him I was going to college.

* * *

_“Rei-Chan’s going to college!? Away from here!? Rei-Chan’s leaving me all alone!?”_

_“Nagisa-Kun’s reacting rather badly… Nagisa-Kun, I’m studying chemical engineering and minoring in physics.”_

_“Whaaaaaat!? But we’re gonna grow old and die together! What about all the Iwatobi cafeteria bread? What about strawberry mochi? What about all the food and adventures we have yet to have!?”_

_“Calm down! You’re making it sound like I’m traveling to a foreign country or something!”_

_“You might as well be! Waaaaaaah!!”_

_“Nagisa-Kun, it’s only Tokyo! Haruka-Senpai and Makoto-Senpai go to school in Tokyo, as well. We won’t be too far apa—Wait, what are you doing!? Where are you dragging me!?”_

_“Rei-Chan is going to help me pack! I’m coming with you to Tokyo!” “Wait, wait, wait! Nagisa-Kun!!”_

* * *

_ That _ was how  _ that _ conversation went. I had to explain to his parents that he wanted to come with me since I would be going away from college. I’m shocked to say they were completely fine with it, but said that Nagisa also better apply to the university I was attending as an effort to get an education. That part I couldn’t help too much; it was as if he were possessed by a demon, feverishly going through clothes, shoes, makeup, and accessories. I had to even stop the poor guy from packing so I could tell him to talk to his parents first. 

That took some time for him to build up the courage to talk to them

I recall waiting in Nagisa’s room while trying to overhear part of the conversation. When he returned, he said that his parents were more concerned that he applied for school as well. The two of us have talked over the years, yet it always resulted in Nagisa not really wanting to pursue a higher education. He said that he just wanted to be “free and happy.” And whatever that may look like for Nagisa… I’m willing to sacrifice my own needs to help him achieve that. 

And that’s going to start with me getting a refined education so I can support him.

It wasn’t too long after I finished unpacking that Nagisa barged in our apartment. He held several shopping bags and one singular grocery bag. One can assume he only—and I mean  _ only _ —had purchased sweets of any kind. Nagisa’s eyes were a deep magenta color that somehow looked bright. Maybe it was the fluorescent lighting reflecting off of his eyes, or perhaps the light in his heart. I watched him rush to the kitchen with an island and set the bags down while he called out to me from my room. I’m sure he was excited to show me what he bought. So I went and met him where I had just cleaned our very own kitchen.

“Rei-Chan! Rei-Chan! Look what I got for us!” He would call for me very excitedly as he pulled out dozens of sweet treats that varied from ice cream to sweetened strawberry and chocolate rice balls. Typical Nagisa, honestly. I told him he had to cut down on sugars but he honestly doesn’t listen. The good part is I’ve gotten him to drink barley and oolong tea. So that does  _ something _ at least. Still, he won’t seem right I’ve up his sweet tooth. In the pat I have considered just letting Nagisa eat a bunch of sugary desserts for an entire week and then maybe he would get tired of them for a while. Knowing him, however, that probably wouldn’t last very long. 

“Sugary delights of all kinds. They each probably hold between twenty and thirty milligrams of sugar, each. Not very suitable for a young man who will probably put on weight easily as he ages.” We both had until we were around twenty-five years old to continue our growth, however. I should spare the beneficial details, though; wouldn’t want Nagisa knowing that he has some leeway to keep growing. But of course, sugar will not allow him to grow. 

“Yep! The best part is that I got something similar to iwatobi cafeteria bread! Behold—“ Nagisa pulled out a loaf of bread that had cream and chocolate stuffed in the middle with some sort of sweet glazing on the opening. “Tokyo sweet bread!!”

“Do they have sweet bread for  _ every city  _ or something!?” I asked rhetorically. 

“It wouldn’t surprise me, Rei-Chan!” He winked at me, resulting in a small twisting feeling in my stomach. Damn him for being so cute. 

“If you eat all of those in one sitting, I will have no remorse for when you get sick.” I fixed my glasses and began putting the delights away. 

“What about the one time when we were second years and it was after one of our practices that I got sick? You took me home then and helped me feel better!” Nagisa grinned. 

I felt myself sigh. I knew where he was going with this. “Yes, but I was the only one around after practice and you were pale as an Irish man.”

I could practically feel Nagisa smiling with my back turned to him. “And the time we went to the squid carnival? I got sick after eating too much of the rice balls there! You carried me home!”

“Makoto-Senpai was already dealing with Haruka-Senpai. I was obligated to help you because no one else was available.” I responded and closed the cabinets above the countertop. 

“Aaannnnnd what about that  _ other  _ time when you—“ 

“Okay, okay, okay. I get it. But things are different now. We’re now responsible for ourselves, Nagisa! Which means if I’m paying the rent here and you’re living with me, you need to also help out. And I cannot trust you with grocery shopping, so you will need to find a job.” I crossed my arms. 

Nagisa looked very enthusiastic at this idea and saluted me. “Yes sir! You can count on me! I will help out Rei-Chan as much as I can!” He grinned and put away some basic kitchen items that were purchased (i.e., salt shakers, cups, eating utensils, bowls, plates, ice trays).

That’s a shock. Never did I think Nagisa would be so enthusiastic about finding a job. It would make somewhat sense in the aspect that Nagisa will get bored living here without anything to do. He’s going to want something. If not just swimming, he’ll want to maybe work at a cafe earning minimum wage or something similar. Imagining Nagisa work at a cafe would be cute though: Nagisa holding a tray, serving juices, teas and coffee while wearing a work uniform….

_ Rei, stop. Now.  _

I had to hold back myself and remove my fantasizing thoughts; that was dirty and illogical. Nagisa is only your best friend, that’s it. Nothing more! I washed my hands quickly and heard as I was drying my hands off, Nagisa calling for me. 

“Rei-Chaaaan!” He called for me in a singsong voice. “What if I sign up for the  _ Kera _ magazines? I could model for them!” 

“You would have to meet the body and weight requirements for them. And considering how much sugar you eat, I’m not sure you would meet them.” I called back and followed Nagisa’s voice to find him in his room on a laptop. He laid on his back wearing a yellow shirt with a small duckling holding a knife on it. When he sat up and smiled at me, his eyes gleamed with his high energy again. “I can just exercise! We can go on runs and work out together like old times, right?” 

I suppose there wouldn’t be much hurt in it. But again, I’ll have to consider my college schedule. I  _ did _ get accepted by the University of Tokyo, after all. I’ll probably have a heavy workload. That’s to be found out later. 

“I suppose there would be no harm in it. We’ll get up every morning at 4:30 AM to warm up and then we’ll go out for a jog at 5:00 AM, following up with weight lifting and then some cool down stretching—“

“You lost me at 4:30 AM, Rei-Chan. That’s too early!” Nagisa frowned at him. “Why not… 6 AM?” He suggested. 

“I may have class at 8 AM… Let’s worry about that later. Just apply, it can’t hurt.” I waved my hand at him and walked out. Now, where’s the multi-surface cleaner? 

“Rei-Chaaaaaan…” Nagisa called out weakly after a minute or so. 

“What?” I called back, wiping down the kitchen island, working my way over to the small dining room connected to the kitchen. 

“I wanna go see the penguins.” He called out in almost a whine. 

That was something Nagisa and I did together during our time in school together; we made trips to the Tokyo Zoo so we could go to the butterfly observatory. Right nextdoor was Tokyo’s handsomely famous aquarium. That was where we both went to see the penguins. He even took the time to name all of them during a show! Shortly after, he was disappointed to find out they already all had names. I cannot recall all of their names, but one of them was named  _ Fuai _ . Nagisa said that the name sounded like the Japanese word  _ batafuai.  _ Since then, he’s had an uncanny desire to be a penguin keeper. 

“Do you want to go in about ten minutes?” I asked, breaking the silence. 

I believe I heard Nagisa fall off of his bed, because there was a loud ‘thud’ sound with Nagisa making sounds of joy. He ran out of his bedroom in a rush, hair messy, rosy cheeks, and wide deep mahogany eyes that sparkles with excitement. “Really!? Let’s go, now!” Nagisa yelled in excitement, taking me by the arm. 

A small sound of startle escaped me. Shortly after I found myself dropping the multi-surface cleaner while being dragged to the door. 

“Wait! I said ten minutes, Nagisa-Kun!”

  
It didn’t matter to me, though. Nagisa-Kun would yet again see his  _ Fuai _ .


	2. "nagisa's FIRST proposition"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penguins. :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little short, like I said they would be. Enjoy!

“Whaaaaat…? Why are they closed…?” Nagisa asked sadly.

The exhibit was filled with a hallway that exhibited the tanks of all sorts of sea creatures. We were in some sort of a water hallway, so to speak. On one side, you could see dogfish, coral, clown fish, surgeonfish, sharks, angelfish, and so many more. A small sea turtle even swam by. It was truly magnificent! On the other side of the hall, there was another tank that helped encapsulate the hall, making it seem as though you’re underwater. In that tank were otters and beavers alike. They seemed to get along perfectly fine, it was odd! The otters were swimming around gracefully, their long tails following. At the end of the hall that we were heading to, it was a door that lead to the penguin exhibit, a highly popular exhibit. But that was when we found a taped, laminated sign on the metal door. 

Unbelievable. They had the penguin exhibit closed. There was a sign in the door that said it was closed due to an illness. But, being the sneak Nagisa was, slipped through the door easily—wait, why wasn’t that locked?

“Rei-chaaaaan… Let’s investigate.” Nagisa whispered quietly to me in a mischievous tone. 

“Are you crazy? We could get in trouble!” I sighed.  _ You’re unfathomable sometimes....  _

I slipped in after Nagisa and found my way up the small, concrete staircase. Nagisa was already at the top, staring ahead. When I reached the top, my eyes widened to find some men taking care of the penguins. So the penguins aren’t sick, who is?

There they were;  _ Mister Popper's Penguins _ …. 

Not really. A man with black hair was with the penguins,wore a suit and was hand-feeding a rather small penguin in comparison to the other six. It gobbled up the fish and made a sound that resembled a turbo-charged printer. The penguins waddled around the man-made habitat of ice and dry land. One penguin slid on its belly to congregate with the others, forming a bit of a group. Ironically, the smaller penguin was a different color than the rest: a beautiful black coat with a sunset color on the crown of its chest, while the other six were bigger and had dark grey, sleek coats. Similar crests, though. 

“There, there,  _ Fuai _ . I know you’re saddened by our loss, but at least he’s in a better place now.” The well-dressed man stroked the supposed “Fuai’s” head. A couple sluggishly dragged themselves around while one ran up to  _ Fuai _ . It wailed out and rested its head against the smaller ones’. 

_ Loss? Did they lose the keeper? _

Nagisa looked at me with sadness encasing his pupils. The way his eyes shone made it seem like he was about to sob, himself. But that was (my?) Nagisa; an empathetic individual who wanted to help take some of someone else’s burden to ease the pressure. As much as I know that Nagisa loved the penguins, this wasn’t our matter to be involved in. But still, I cannot help but wonder what overcame the keeper…?

“Hey there, mister. What happened to the penguin keeper?” Nagisa had called out to this man, thus snapping me out of my thoughts. 

The man had his back turned to us, but stood up swiftly upon being startled, now facing us. The penguins perked up in surprise as well, seeming nearly in sync with the supposed staff member. He stared at us for a moment with his jaw slack, looking back and forth between us. 

“Who… are  _ you _ two? Why are you in here?” He questioned, making his way toward us with a slow walk. 

Nagisa put out his hands as if a gesture to show that we meant no harm. “We’re just some visitors. We come to Tokyo at least once a year to visit the butterfly exhibit at the zoo, and then we usually come here to see the penguins—“

“So you’ll have to forgive my friend here for being nosy and intrusive." I interrupted Nagisa, placing a hand on his shoulder. We made enough ruckus. It wouldn't surprise me if a rich and entitled man like this guy called security on us for "startling" him. "He tends to not think before he acts. We will leave right away—“

“No, no! Hold on, please!” The man held up his hand and drew closer. Upon further inspection, the man was a lot younger-looking than what I imagined. He had to be in his mid or late twenties. A beauty mark was marked where his dimples should be by the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were a brown-hazel mixture. When the fluorescent light hit them just right, it was as if his eyes were this deep gold color, similar to authentic gold like what you see on watches or necklaces. His jet black hair that was gelled and combed back to the side made him look all the more like a rich entitled person, too. There was one thing for sure; this man was very luxurious, so you had to imagine he wasn’t just some mousy staff member. Perhaps he was the director or owner, here. But he drew closer mainly to Nagisa with eyes full of interest. 

“Pardon my boldness. Young man, what is your name?” He asked with big gold eyes, almost pleading. 

Nagisa glanced up at me before he answered.  “I’m Nagisa Hazuki, from Iwatobi.”

“I see! Do so pardon my sudden outburst, but you look just like our previous penguin keeper!” He held his hands together, glancing up at me. “So, you two are friends?”

We both nodded and he continued on. 

“Good to know! Allow me to introduce myself. I am Hugh Sasabe, son of the aquarium’s owner—“ he leaned in closer to speak lowly. “—also next in line to inherit the business.” He would back up to give us space, again. “Well, Nagisa- _ sama _ , how would you feel about being the next penguin director? You’ve got it all, pal!” He grinned widely, circling around the two of us slowly. “I mean, just look at you! The eyes, the smile, the innocent persona, the small frame, the girly name! It’s everything our previous one had!”

_ He had a girly name, too? _ I promise, that wasn't the only thing I was wondering about, but for how long had they kept the exhibit closed down for? What happened to the keeper? Well, it couldn't be too sore of s subject since this guy was rather perky about Nagisa fitting the previous keeper's looks and persona.  


“Really? You really mean it!?” Nagisa’s eyes were the size of golf balls by this point. A bright smile appeared on his face, returning his attention to myself briefly. “Did you get that, Rei? I could work  _ here _ ! That would be  _ awesome _ ! I would be doing what I’ve been wanting to do for a while now!” 

“Well… This was quite the sudden proposition. You haven’t even filled out an application or had an interview or anything. I was going to help you with preparing for all of that.” I furrowed my brows down at him a bit. Really, Nagisa should consider this for a little bit! I get he’s excited, yet something in me feels that there’s a catch to this—

“Aw c’mon, Rei. I’ll be fine, I promise.” There he goes with that innocent smile of his. Honestly, when he smiles like that… it’s as if he’s just glowing like an angel. And yet, I know that buried deep within all of that beautiful happiness, there lies a little boy who wants to be free from being told no and being restricted. His parents… they were very restrictive on him. Part of me feels that was the other reason why he wanted to move in with me; he wanted more freedom. More freedom to explore the world… yet more importantly,  _ himself _ . 

I can’t help it… he’s going to have to throw himself into the world eventually. It might as well be now. 

“Rei? You there?” Nagisa waved his hand in front of my face. 

_ My glasses are falling… _ .

I pushed up my glasses and smiled softly at Nagisa. “Okay, I won’t stop you. If this is what you really want to—!”

Nagisa embraced me tightly with his arms wrapped around my neck. He was having a giggle fit while Hugh Sasabe stood there smirking at me. What was it with that smirk? It seemed so…  _ mischievous _ . 

“Yay!! Thank you, Rei-chan! Thank you, thank you!” Nagisa finally let me go and gently patted my right cheek. He turned on his heel and grinned at Hugh. “Alright! I’ll take you up on it!” 

“Oh good! Excellent! Here is my card. Just give

Me a call later and I can have a phone interview with you and I’ll email you the application to submit!” Hugh grinned handing Nagisa his card. It seemed to be a black and white card with an orca’s body color scheme. 

“Application? Oh, but we don’t own a printer,” Nagisa had taken the card to scrutinize it briefly. 

“We can walk to the library. It’s not too far from our apartment. We’ll get you a library card so that way printing will be free for us.” I grinned at Nagisa. 

“Oh! Okay! Rei-chan saves the day, again!” Nagisa patted my shoulder gently and left it on my bicep. “Thank you, Sasabe- _ buchou _ !” He grinned and headed out of the penguin exhibit, waving to the penguins. “I’ll meet you all later! Can’t wait!” 

Nagisa’s excitement just never seems to end,

Does it? A smile crept its way onto my lips while I followed Nagisa out. 

“Oh! By the way, I don’t think I caught your name, sir!” Hugh addressed me and I stopped. Only now does he care to know my name? It was a little rude he didn’t ask during our conversation earlier. I turned to him to answer. 

“Rei Ryugazaki. Nagisa’s living with me.”


End file.
